TETFund: How partisan politics caused Baffa’s ouster

By Akon Etumukwa

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has offered clarifications on the controversy surrounding the removal of its Former Executive Secretary, Dr Abdullahi Bichi Baffa.

Contrary to allegations of financial improprieties, the Chairman, TETFund Board of Trustees, Mr Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, in a statement, said Baffa violated government regulations on partisan engagement of public servants.

Nwajiuba said Buhari sacked the erstwhile executive secretary of the fund to “ensure that swirling allegations of his nefarious entanglements in the hot Kano political atmosphere and the uncontrolled publication of religious and political ideological leanings is halted.”

While stating that under extant laws of the country, the President may hire or fire the executive secretary for any or no reason, he said the board noted the procedural defects of some actions of Baffa at its meeting of January 15, 2019, and advised the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu of same.

According to him, these irregularities are part of the recommendations that the minister forwarded to the President and will be part of the suspended items for discuss at the resumption of adjourned Board meeting to be reconvened soon.

He exonerated Adamu from making demands on the ousted executive secretary, stating that “It is also our understanding that the sack of the executive secretary Dr Baffa has no relation to issues of any demands upon him by the Honourable Minister for education as the Board was at no time formally or informally notified of any interference whatsoever by the Honourable Minister.

He added that the minister has been completely supportive of the fund in the discharge of its work by allowing a free hand in the running of the fund, even though he is represented by the permanent secretary on the board.

“The Board was convinced that President Muhammadu Buhari acted legally, lawfully and rightly in ensuring that a continuing state of possible violation of government regulations as to partisan engagements of public servants, the swirling allegations of nefarious entanglements in the hot Kano political atmosphere and the uncontrolled publicization of religious and political ideological leanings is halted,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Education, Adamu, has refused to comment on the sudden sack of Baffa, stating that he would not join issues with the former executive secretary of TETFund.

Earlier in an interview with the BBC, Baffa lamented his ordeal in the hands of the minister before his eventual sack.

According to him, eight months ago, Adamu had expressed anger over his disbursement of over N200 billion to benefiting tertiary institutions, alleging he collected 10 per cent of the intervention amounting to about N20 billion.

While the minister was said to have sent a messenger who demanded for the alleged 20 per cent collected, it was not clear if his effort was a shot at recovering the funds or appropriating them for himself.

“Eight months ago, Mr Adamu Adamu sent his biggest contractor to me and the contractor told me that the minister is angry with me on three things. He mentioned one and two issues and the third issue, he said that I shared over N200 billion to tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

“Even if I am collecting 10 per cent from the institutions I could have collected over N20 billion, where is the money? Let me tell you since I began this job I did not collect not even 10 per cent, 1 per cent or even one naira from any institution. If there’s any school that I requested a percentage of the money I disbursed to them, I will be willing to accept a death penalty,” he said.

Recall that last Monday, Adamu, in a statement, reinstated Prof Suleiman Elias Bogoro as the Executive Secretary of TETFund, following the unexpected sack of Baffa.

The former TETFund boss said he had evidence that Adamu reported him to the President alleging he was inaccessible, insubordinate and granting press conferences without the minister’s consent, allegations he vehemently denied.

Baffa was appointed the Executive Secretary of TETFund in August 2016.